Construction on the future largest hotel in the Benelux just reached another milestone: the behemoth 25-floor, 650-room nhow Amsterdam RAI Hotel, designed by OMA/Reinier de Graaf, has reached its highest point of construction at a height of 91 meters (nearly 300 feet)."The shape of the 91-metre... View full entry

A master plan for a 17 acre parcel of land in Amsterdam has been recently unveiled by the Dutch firm MVRDV. Given the fact that "Amsterdam urgently needs housing in all sorts of sizes and price ranges, for both purchase and rental,” says Nathalie de Vries, co-founder of MVRDV, the project... View full entry

With the ‘Bedsteeg’ – a wordplay on the traditional Dutch sleeping accommodation ‘bedstede’ – Roegiers is now bringing attention to residual urban space that can be used to improve living conditions for the homeless. ‘It is about certain basic human needs that have to be met for a homeless person to become strong enough – both mentally and physically – to regain independence,’ he told local newspaper Het Parool.
— Pop-Up City

As his graduation project for Amsterdam Academy of Architecture, Patrick Roegiers created a simple cardboard house. Wedged between two existing buildings, covered in water-resistant coating and 3 meters high, the structure is meant to provide homeless people with a warm and dry place to sleep... View full entry

Marking the end of the World Architecture Festival, the winner of the 2018 World Building of the Year was presented to Kampung Admiralty by WOHA Architects. Having also won the award for the Commercial Mixed - Completed Projects, the firm can now add this prestigious award to their repertoire of... View full entry

The UNStudio Futures Team (UNSFutures) recently announced plans for a 'Station of the Future' at the first edition of HyperSummit. Organized by Hardt Hyperloop, the summit took place in Utrecht, Netherlands focusing on urgency, research, and collaboration to realize a European hyperloop. ... View full entry

MVRDV's urban vision for the new Hyde Park district near Amsterdam has been given the green light by the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. Currently occupied by a desolate office park, the area will be transformed into a vibrant residential area with thousands of new dwellings and commercial... View full entry

This evening, 20 rooftops across the city of Amsterdam have opened up their typically unused space in sky for a series of unique programming. Part of the city's Rooftop festival, these spaces will be hosting three-course dinners, live music, rollerskating, guided tours, and even a... View full entry

UNSense, a new arch tech startup based in Amsterdam, is being launched by UNStudio. Operating as an independent sister company to UNStudio, the company will explore and develop new integrated tech solutions specifically designed for the built environment. UNSense explores new technologies... View full entry

Dutch social renters wanting to move to a new apartment can now use an app to swap houses with other renters. One precondition, both renters need to ‘like’ each other’s apartment to get a match. [...]

Young renters with small apartments may swap with older residents who live in bigger apartments. In this way, the issue of scheefwonen (skew living — when people live in apartments that do not match their needs and desires) within the Dutch rental sector could be solved.
— Pop-Up City

"After two apartments are matched, the users are introduced to each other, after which they have to find out if their rental agreements are compatible enough for the renters to swap house." View full entry

Two housing projects won big today in the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award competition. Out of five finalists, DeFlatKleiburg in Amsterdam by NL Architects and XVW architectuur won the main Mies van der Rohe Award. The 2017 Emerging Architect... View full entry

How can architects transform the driving economy of a preexisting city? The team of de Architekten Cie. + Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners won The City Administration of Chelyabinsk's competition to redesign the historical center of their formerly industrial town based on a scheme... View full entry

BIG has another terraced building in the works. This time around, the practice led a team with Rotterdam-based BARCODE Architects to design the competition-winning scheme for “Sluishuis”, a new 46,000 m2 mixed-use development proposed for IJburg Lake at the edge of Amsterdam. The residential... View full entry

On the artificial IJburg island east of Amsterdam, the local Tennisclub IJburg now has an ultra modern clubhouse known as The Couch, designed by MVRDV and Studio Bouwkunde. Construction began later than originally announced last April and the building recently opened its doors to the public... View full entry

David Waggonner is an urban and environmental architect. Since Hurricane Katrina decimated his city, he’s been focusing on urban stormwater management, mapping out designs for New Orleans that would mimic the way Dutch cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam deal with water. In the Netherlands, people “invite water into the city,” meaning water is visible everywhere. [...] “In New Orleans, we’ve hidden and squandered the asset.”
— theatlantic.com

Related on Archinect and our sister site Bustler:Louisiana is Disappearing into the SeaPost-Katrina: Will New Orleans still be New Orleans?Changing Course teams present final 100-year plans to restore Lower Mississippi River Delta (Bustler) View full entry

If you happen to find yourself wandering IJburg's Centrumeiland artificial island in Amsterdam this summer, you might encounter a peculiar group of art installations randomly camped out in what feels like the middle of nowhere. Although the installations alone are enough to draw in passers-by... View full entry